RWBY - What Tomorrow Brings
by MattHunX
Summary: Back on the peaceful island of Patch, Yang and her father are in the middle of spending another dull day, until they have a surprise visit from someone.


**Author's note** : Back on the peaceful island of Patch, Yang and her father are in the middle of spending another dull day, until they have a surprise visit from someone.

 **RWBY – What Tomorrow Brings**

The last of the snow has long melted. Everything was lush, green and vibrant, once again, on the island of Patch. Everything, whether it had a mind of its own or not, stretched towards the Sun; leaves, flowers and blades of grass have let fall their last drops of dew, drying themselves as they bathed in its light. Birds sang over the knocks of their wood-pecking kin, as some were putting in the finishing touches, the last twigs, on their nests. Sheltered between the trees of the forest, stood the house Taiyang Xiao Long built for his family. The usual excitement and loudness that was brought by his two daughters was gone, replaced by melancholy, in stark contrast to everything else around them. A squirrel running up a tree was something that always elicited a smile from the one who happened to catch the moment. Taiyang could only force a weak one, as he looked up from the dishes he was washing, in the window of their kitchen. There was barely anything in the sink, as he had to only serve for himself and one of his daughters. He walked over to his eldest to take the empty plate from her. She was sitting at the table, wearing an orange, bare-midriff tank top, gray cargo pants and white sneakers. A grey jacket, with the right arm tied into a knot, was on the back of the seat, behind her.

"I got it." Yang stood up, before he even reached for it. Her tone told him she did not need help to carry one dish. He was just glad that she was, at least, eating well and keeping her strength up, as much as she could. She even exercised, some. She was trying to feel whole, again, but Taiyang feared she will never truly come to terms with the loss of her arm. He watched as she placed the plate under the running water, grabbed a sponge to clean one side, flipped it over to do the bottom, putting it on the drier with the others, when she was finished. "I'll be outside." she told him, as she grabbed her jacket and went out the back door, slowly walking to a stool she sat on, out in the open, under clear blue skies and the warm Sun. A tree-stump was behind her that had axe cuts in it. The firewood they had left over from the Winter, she cut into even smaller pieces, as exercise for her one good arm. She looked down at her hand, moving her fingers, and looked at it as if she was weakly clutching at something, with all that she had left. She was so motionless, a little squirrel felt it could come closer, as it moved in front of her and started searching around her. Yang either did not see it, or did not care enough to even look at it.

All the nestling, chirping, knocking and rustling stopped. Yang lifted her head, when she heard the sound of what was an approaching airship. Flocks of scared birds took off from the canopies, as the strong currents caused by the engines violently shook them. Taiyang noticed from the window and threw off his apron to hurry outside, as Yang stood, looking up at the symbol of the Atlas military that was painted on the side of the ship that slowly descended and touched down, at one of the few clearings, amidst all the trees. The hatch opened, a ramp folded to the ground and down came General James Ironwood, with one soldier on either side of him, no longer feeling entirely safe with androids. He signaled his men to remain at the foot of the ramp, out of earshot.

"General!" Taiyang exclaimed with a smile, surprised it was him, in person.

"Taiyang!" Ironwood went to shake his hand, much like he did with Ozpin. "My apologies for coming by unannounced! Didn't mean to disturb the peace of your island."

"It's not like I have my name on it." Taiyang shrugged.

"Maybe you ought to." Ironwood half joked.

"Nah." Taiyang waved. "I'd never hear the end of it at the Academy."

"I'm surprised you still haven't taken…a _higher position_ at Signal. Especially now that neither of your daughters attend, anymore." Ironwood said.

"Oh, they weren't treated any differently from the others just because I teach there." Taiyang pointed out. "Heck, their uncle was even tougher on them than the other kids."

"But, not you?" Ironwood knew him enough to guess he was not a particularly strict father.

"Uh…" Ironwood looked to the side and Taiyang followed his gaze to see Yang walking up to them and he was practically saved from having to explain why Qrow did not hold back in his teaching of his daughters, where he did. Yang learned to fight from him. And Ruby from Qrow, but the latter did not go any less easy on either of them in classes.

"Miss Xiao Long." Ironwood acknowledged her.

"General." came the flat reply and Ironwood's eyes immediately fell upon her arm.

"I'm glad to see all of you made it out of the city…safely." He paused, as his eyes moved from her arm to look at her. "I believe I owe an apology. After what happened at Beacon, I cannot judge your actions in the tournament. Qrow debriefed me on everything your sister could tell him about our enemy. And I'm not completely certain _anything_ was what it seemed, at the time. We've all been…deceived. At first, I thought they wanted us to fight amongst ourselves and they nearly succeeded. But, it seems, their real purpose…or at least, part of it, was to turn _everyone else_ against us. Against the military and the schools." He looked at Taiyang, then back to Yang. "And despite the odds, all of you held your ground. It was above and beyond what anyone could rightly expect of you." He commended her.

"You said it was only part of their plan." Yang repeated his words. "What else did they want?" Yang asked, but both Ironwood and Taiyang seemed reticent.

"It's…" Ironwood attempted to say.

"Classified?" Yang interrupted him.

"It is." Ironwood said. "But, I feel you have the right to know. However, it's…difficult to believe, at first." Ironwood replied.

"Maidens with magic? Yeah!" Yang let out a bitter laugh, angry at having been kept in the dark, along with everyone else. Ironwood and Taiyang were both surprised she knew. She was merely testing them to see if they would be forthcoming and to Ironwood's credit, he intended to be.

"Qrow told you?" Taiyang was more saddened than upset. He was angry at Qrow for telling them, but he was also ashamed that he kept it from his daughter for so long.

"We deserved to know!" Yang raised her voice and Taiyang winced from it. "You should've told us who we were fighting! And _why_?" she turned to Ironwood. "Maybe we could've stopped it! Then, Penny and Pyrra would be _alive_!"

"Telling you about the Maidens, of the one we protected, wouldn't have made a difference, simply, because we didn't know anything about the enemy and what they were capable of. We still don't." he pointed out. "But, if there's anyone to blame for what happened, it's me. I was fully convinced my military could stop any threat we would encounter. I underestimated our enemies, as much as I've overestimated our strength." He looked at his feet. "And I…didn't even pay the price for it." he admitted and he sounded as if he wished he had paid it, instead of the ones they lost.

"Whaddoyou want?" Yang asked, more calmly, after having listened to him.

"I was going to ask the same from your father. And you." Ironwood readily replied. "And your sister." he added. "But, it looks like she already made up her mind on what _she_ wanted to do." he said and Taiyang gave him a suspicious look. Yang was about to ask what he meant, but he continued. "Incidentally, I wanted to ask you about her." he turned to Taiyang, who became even more guarded and then back to Yang. "In private." he added. Taiyang looked at Yang, who narrowed her eyes, thinking they had something else they did not want her to hear. "It's not about anything classified." Ironwood quickly assured her.

"Then, what?" Taiyang asked.

"It's about…her name." Taiyang raised a brow, thinking his question was going to be about something else, in connection to Summer. Though, it was still partly about her. "Why did she take her mother's name, instead of yours?" Ironwood asked and it did not feel like he was trying to make small-stalk to avoid any further conversations about events. He simply found it strange.

"Well…I guess it's the same reason she left without telling me. I wouldn't tell her about…things." Ruby resented him for not telling her about _many_ things. The Maidens. Her silver-eyed heritage. Her mother. And his over-protectiveness was always a problem for her. She was given all the freedom a normal child could have. Except she was not destined to remain one. Both of her parents were huntsmen and wanting to go out into the world was in her blood, along with _something else_ and Taiyang wanted to keep her from it. "And now she's out there, on her own. Well, Qrow went after her, but…she left, because I wouldn't let her." he looked down and then at Yang. "It's why I never wanted to tell them about any of that stuff." He glanced at her, then kept his eyes on the ground. It did not make Yang any less angry, but she understood.

"You were protecting them. And doing what you thought was right." Ironwood put it down to him acting like any parent would. "But, you don't have to worry about her. She is with friends." Taiyang looked up at him, in surprise and Yang, too, perked up. "With the CCT down, gathering information is more limited. Our scouts have reported seeing your daughter with three of her friends, passing through a village, heading towards the south-east. From what Qrow said about our enemy's movements, they must be going after them. To Haven."

"Yeah." Taiyang sighed. "I know it's where she wanted to go, I just didn't…" He said he would not let her. "I'm just glad she's not alone." He could not be completely relieved, however.

"So…you want us to go out there? On missions?" Yang guessed Ironwood's reason for coming to them.

"I realize getting back out onto the field won't be simple." He looked at Taiyang. "But, from what Qrow and…Ozpin told me, you were already prepared to take up the fight, again." He turned to Yang. "And you..." He glanced at her arm, again. "Don't have to let that stop you." he said as he took a step towards her. "Thanks to the advancements that've been made in cybernetics…" he started and raised his gloved hand, then removed the piece of clothing with the other, to reveal his replacement for the arm he lost and Yang's stared. But, he did not stop there. "Losing a limb…" he continued and pulled on the collar of his suit and the shirt, under it, to show the entire right half of his upper-body was made of metal. "Doesn't have to mean an end to a person's ability to serve a cause." He briefly bent down and pulled the end of his pants, that was tucked into his boot, to show his right leg was also cybernetic. He tucked it back and stood, pulling his glove back on, then smoothed out his collar. Taiyang already knew and as Yang kept gawking Ironwood continued. "Atlas can provide you with any kind of replacement you feel would suit you. It can be a simple arm, with the enhanced physical strength it would already provide being further augmented by your semblance. As I understand, it allows you to absorb any attack and use the energy from it as your own, effectively turning it against your opponent."

"Uh…Yeah." Yang slowly confirmed.

"I am not going to lie to you." Ironwood said, solemnly, hands behind his back. "Speaking from experience, you will most likely never feel completely whole, again. The replacements will serve their purpose and they allow a person to lead a full life. There _will_ be…considerable advantages. But metal can never feel like flesh, especially if you…opt for more than just a plain prosthetic." he added.

"Whaddoyou mean?" Yang was not sure what else she could possibly get.

"Your weapons." Ironwood stated. "You trained to use a pair of gauntlets that were also capable of firing bullets, even explosives. We can incorporate such a weapon into the design of the arm, to make it a part of it. Your arm would _literally_ be a weapon." he explained and Taiyang had a look of worry, as he saw life - awe and hope - in his daughter's eyes, after months. He should have felt joy, but he knew that it meant he was going to have to let _her_ go, as well. "I know you're not fond of the idea." Ironwood said to Taiyang and Yang saw the saddened expression on her father's face.

"I couldn't stop Ruby from leaving. I got zero chance with _her_." Taiyang shrugged. An admission that was as much of a criticism as it was an appraisal of both of his daughters' stubborn, independent and driven attitudes.

"I'm not suggesting you shouldn't stay with her." Ironwood shook his head. "You could take on missions _together_. It would be safer. And more efficient, than just going alone."

"I don't know." Taiyang rubbed the back of his head, shaking it. "I think she had enough of me, for a while." he half-heartedly joked, letting out a nervous laugh and looking at Yang, who gave a weak scowl. She did not find it funny and if she was being honest with herself, there was truth to it.

"Kind of." she partly joked back and Taiyang gave Ironwood a weak smile, then sighed.

"So, you want us to start packing, now?" he asked Ironwood, with the same level of enthusiasm.

"No. Take your time." Ironwood held up a hand. "I'll send a transport back for you. I have to return to the forward base we have established in Vale."

"How _are_ things, there?" Taiyang asked with more interest.

"The safe zone is holding. Grimm activity has gone down. But, I'm afraid it's only because they are getting more cautious. They're not taking risks. And neither are we. More worryingly, many of my men are reporting the Grimm they fight are not just stronger….they are smarter." Ironwood said, his expression darkening.

"That's not good." Taiyang commented, with dread seeping into his voice.

"It's worse. They've demonstrated an ability to work with one another. In concert. Something we've never seen before. Some of them learned to use their environment and others as a weapon. Larger and stronger types use grunts and even alphas of others that are smaller than they are and throw them over defensive lines or right at our soldiers, reaching them in places they couldn't before and acting faster. Imagine a Beowolf literally flying at you. And you barely have time to aim, before its claws tear into you. It's why retaking the city is progressing slowly. We can't even call it attrition at this point. Whenever it seemed like we were steadily gaining ground, they've done something we weren't expecting and the casualties we suffered because of it are ones I am not going to add to by having my men try and keep pressure on any enemy that has the advantage both in numbers and _tactics_." Ironwood let out a bitter laugh. "I never imagined I'd use the word _tactics_ with Grimm. I've underestimated _them_ , as well." He glared at the ground.

"What about a more stealthy approach?" Taiyang suggested. "Ambush them before they could use those tactics?"

"We have tried. But, it honestly came as no surprise that most of our men aren't trained for such operations. They don't have the experience, the mobility or the skills. And the ones who do, are few. And even _they_ lack the true…finesse of huntsmen. Those who could respond to our emergency broadcasts have either scattered or they themselves aren't suited for the kind of approach you suggest. There was one." he added after a pause. "But, she was avoiding contact with our forces, for some reason and acted independently." Ironwood stated.

"She? Who?" Taiyang wondered, thinking of a particularly dangerous woman.

"I believe she was a member of your daughter's team. Blake Belladonna." he turned to Yang, whose heart skipped a beat, as her eyes widened. Taiyang could not even consider what he felt that his hunch was not correct, as he could see even more fire in his daughter's eyes, than before, but he could immediately tell it was not friendly, as Yang narrowed them in anger. Ironwood raised a brow.

"I take it you didn't part on the best of terms." he assumed.

"We didn't _part_. We got to Vale and she was _gone_! Before I even woke up after…" she trailed of, as she glanced at her arm. She made a fist. "Where is she?" She looked at Ironwood.

"We don't know." Ironwood replied and Yang looked annoyed. "After she left Vale, we lost track of her. Or…more like _she_ managed to lose our scouts. She seems very adept at leaving no trail." he commented. Yang abruptly turned with a growl and headed back inside.

"Well…it looks like she just found her reason to get back out there." Ironwood said, as they watched Yang go in. Taiyang turned back to him. "What about you?" he was asked and Taiyang lowered his gaze, contemplating. Back inside the house, different items of clothing were thrown and others were being yanked from drawers and were stuffed in a duffel-bag.

"I guess I can help you guys out in Vale. Or wherever you want me go." Taiyang answered, not having any particular assignment in mind he would have wanted to be put on.

"We both know there are more… _sensitive matters_ you could handle. Off the record." Ironwood nodded.

"Like what?" Taiyang asked.

"For example, locating certain _special assets_ whose well-being is key to fighting the war. We've already lost one of them." Ironwood answered, making it perfectly clear what kind of a mission he was talking about and the persons of interest involved in it. Taiyang understood.

"You don't know where the rest of them are?" He found it strange.

"Keeping them away from the public meant giving them privacy. And after all that has happened and how our military was seen by the general population, I don't have much faith that they'd try and make contact." Ironwood explained.

"They can't believe Atlas really attacked all those people." Taiyang tried to sound more optimistic.

"Everyone else does. Or they simply believe any of the other lies that woman offered them. They may possess incredible power. But, they aren't invincible and they aren't all-knowing. They can be deceived…as easily as we were." Ironwood pointed out. "And the only reason we haven't lost Fall sooner, is because Qrow was operating in the area. If he hadn't intervened, we could be having an even bigger problem on our hands. I suspect he was following her, acting on Ozpin's behalf. He must have had reason to believe she was in danger. Whether it was more than a simple guess on his part, I can't tell." he paused. "I feel like there are things he was still keeping from _some_ of us. Even within the inner-circle."

"Well, you know how he is. Or…was." Taiyang corrected himself, but he was still not sure which tense to use. He sighed. "We still have no idea where he is or…how he got wherever he went. But, he got outta there. Somehow. Qrow went straight back to search the tower, after he got Yang and Ruby home. He found his cane, but didn't find anything else. And maybe there was nothing left to find." he said, with sadness, but then it vanished. "But, knowing Oz, I doubt that." he said, firmly.

"As do I." Ironwood agreed, then something else occurred to him. "How does he get around so fast? I wonder."

"Hm?" Taiyang was confused by who he meant.

"Qrow. He seems to make his trips fast, and yet, I've never seen him use a shuttle, even once." Ironwood said.

"Well, beats me." Taiyang shrugged, pretending he did not know about Qrow's ability and Ironwood did not look like he believed him. "Really! Hey, yeah, we were on a team, but…we don't really get along." He was not completely lying. They had and still have their differences.

"Yes. I've…heard. When he talked with Oz, he often mentioned hitting you. He seemed to forget I was in the room, sometimes." Ironwood related without amusement.

"He was probably drunk half that time." Taiyang frowned.

"More like _most_ of the time." Ironwood corrected him.

"Right…" Taiyang shook his head, but at least Ironwood was satisfied with his excuse for the lack of explanation.

Ironwood looked behind Taiyang and the latter turned, then stared, as Yang was standing outside the front door, with a bag slung over her shoulder. She was sporting a long, tan, split-tailed coat with golden accents around the belt and edges. A gold band, with a bottom, covered the stump of her lost arm, having been shaped specifically for it, matching the accessories on the heels and toes of her boots. Her left arm had the one remaining half of her Ember Celica equipped on it and her hair was let out, being blown by a breeze, as it shone brightly in the sun.

"Uh…that's… _my_ coat." Taiyang pointed out and Yang shot him a glare. "Fine. Take it!" he was not going to argue. "Looks good on you." he added and looked genuinely afraid as Yang approached to him. She threw her arm around him and hugged him close, which Taiyang returned, after his surprise, with all his strength. They pulled back and Taiyang's eyes were teary. "Be careful." he quietly told her and Yang nodded. Taiyang stepped to the side and Yang stood in front of Ironwood, who was giving her an amused smile.

"Impressive. You just got ready for duty faster, _with one arm_ , than most soldiers." he commented. "I suppose I don't need to ask if you _are_ ready." he added and turned to Taiyang, stepping up to shake his hand. "I'll send a transport, as promised. They'll remain here, until you prepare." he told him.

"Alright. Thanks, General!" Taiyang gave him a weak salute.

"Bye, dad." Yang said.

"Bye, sweetie." Taiyang replied and Yang walked up the ramp with Ironwood, who gave Taiyang a nod.

The transport lifted off, heading for the mainland and Taiyang kept his eyes on it, until it was barely a dot on the horizon. He heard a squeak and looked down to see what might have been the same squirrel, from before, at his feet. It looked up at him and Taiyang could actually give a genuine smile, this time, though it waned as he looked in the direction the ship left. Both of his girls were out saving the world and soon he would be doing all he could to help them, even if they were kingdoms apart.

…

 **Author's note:** I realize the Volume 4 promo art for Yang doesn't, at all, imply how she will fight, but I think getting a cybernetic limb, perhaps with the help of Ironwood, has to be a good option. And with her Semblance buffing the damage a cybernetic arm could already do, she would really be a beast.

I figure the other three Maidens won't be easy to track down, after events, but they have to get involved, especially after what was done to one of them.

I've said before that I ship White Rose, but not much. I'd squeal if they made it a thing, but wouldn't feel like they've missed an opportunity if they didn't (depending on what happens in Volume 4 and later). I ship Bumblebee _less_. Ruby and Weiss are more interesting to me, to be honest. However…Yang literally gave a fucking arm for Blake. So if the latter ended up back with Sun, now THAT would be a missed opportunity.


End file.
